(Reuters) -The U.S. government is nearing a deal to fund a late-stage trial Modern (NASDAQ:)’s mRNA bird flu vaccine, the Financial Times reported Thursday, as the outbreak spreads among dairy cows.
Moderna told Reuters it was in talks with the government about advancing its vaccine candidate, but did not confirm funding and said it had nothing further to add.
Federal funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) could come as early as next month and would include a pledge to purchase doses if late-stage trials are successful, the FT report said, citing people who were close to the discussions.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Moderna is testing its experimental vaccine, mRNA-1018, against several strains of the virus, including the currently circulating H5N1 variant. It said dosing in an early-to-mid-stage trial of the vaccine had been completed, and expects data soon.
The company’s shares have risen about 40% since April 1, when the second known human case of bird flu was reported in the United States. The stock rose about 3% to $151.25 in premarket trading on Thursday.
The United States has a stockpile of bird flu vaccines that match the strain currently circulating, as well as antivirals that can be used to treat human infections. However, in the event of a major epidemic or pandemic, the country would have to significantly scale up supplies.
The U.S. government is producing approximately 4.8 million doses of CSL’s (OTC:) Seqirus bird flu vaccine. It is also in “active conversations” with Pfizer (NYSE:) and Moderna on a potential mRNA vaccine.
Last week, US officials confirmed a new human infection in the country since the virus was first detected in dairy cattle in late March.
